Whether you’re proud of your hispanic heritage or not, you can do more than just identify yourself by your last name. You can celebrate your culture and history. You can even become a member of your own heritage museum! September is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and you can take advantage of the celebration by learning about the contributions of Hispanics in the United States. If you’re not familiar with it, you can find out more about it below.
Approximately half of the United States population is Latino. Hispanic heritage month begins on September 15, the same day that several Hispanic countries celebrate their independence. Mexico gained its independence on September 16, while Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Peru celebrate their independence on September 21 and 23 respectively. To celebrate Hispanic heritage, check out the different ways you can celebrate the culture of these diverse communities. Consider the different ways you can celebrate Hispanic heritage!
To celebrate your culture’s heritage, you can find resources online or at local library branches. National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15-October 15, and the government has designated this month as a celebration of all things Hispanic. Check out the resources below for classroom activities and Hispanic history lesson plans. And don’t forget to mark your calendars to help celebrate Hispanic culture! You’ll find a wide variety of resources for your classroom, from NEH summer seminars to K-12 lesson plans.
Latinx: Latinx is a gender-neutral noun that refers to people of Spanish-speaking descent. The word is a recent development in language usage, but there’s already a history of its use. While Latino is a more general term, Latinx is becoming more popular, largely because it’s more inclusive. The Latinx designation is a perfect example of a language’s diversity.
September 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, a national holiday that celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of the diverse Latino population in the United States. The celebration started out as a commemorative week in 1968 and was expanded in 1988 to a full month in honor of the diverse contributions made by Latino communities to the United States. It also coincides with national independence days in several Latin American countries, including Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize.
However, there are some misconceptions about the term “Hispanic.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half of Americans who identify as “Hispanic” do not identify as such. In fact, many of these people fail to identify as such, as they don’t fit the federal definition of “Hispanic”. The problem lies in the fact that most of them don’t even identify as “Hispanic” when they answer the census questions.
A recent White House roundtable brought together Latino cabinet leaders to discuss the importance of hiring more people of Hispanic heritage in key policy areas. The panel included Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and Administrator of the Small Business Administration Isabel Guzman. They discussed how these Latino leaders can help the U.S. achieve the goals of the Hispanic community. There were also a variety of celebrations to mark the occasion, including parades, conferences, and more.